


He Dreams Of Stars

by Bluethenstaub



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dubious Consent, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-16 03:33:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11820351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluethenstaub/pseuds/Bluethenstaub
Summary: Ego’s core explodes and the planet implodes.The Guardians of the Galaxy have to leave Peter and Yondu behind.They search for Peter and Yondu for hours.They can’t find them.





	1. Chapter 1

Ego’s core explodes and the planet implodes.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are forced to leave Peter and Yondu behind.

They have only one Aero-Rig and a space suit, Rocket tells them quietly. One of them won't survive.

They have to wait for the remains of Ego to clear up.

They search for Peter and Yondu for hours.

They can’t find them.

They continue to search.

They still don't find them.

After three days, they abandon their last hope. No one can survive in just a spacesuit for that long. Not even Peter who has just lost his immortality.

Depressed, they leave Ego’s quadrant. They will never forget the day they lost both Yondu Udonta and Peter Quill. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

Both Yondu and Peter get a Ravager funeral, even though  there are no bodies.

They continue with their quest to guard the galaxy and to honor Peter's name.

 

.

 

When he opens his eyes there's nothing but darkness. He screams but he can't hear a thing.

Strong arms hold him down.

Someone puts a wet towel on his forehead.

He drifts back into sleep.

 

.

 

He opens his eyes, but there's still only darkness.

This time he doesn't scream.

He tries to sit up.

He can't.

There are tubes all over his body, restraining him.

He tries to remove them.

It doesn't work.

Instead, he feels a deep vibration somewhere nearby.

He falls back into unconsciousness.

 

.

 

The third time he wakes, he sees the light.

It's far away.

Is he dead?

He blinks slowly.

Once.

Twice.

His eyes focus on the light.

It comes from a strange face.

He has never seen a person like this. They are of a dark gray color with ridges all over their face. The light comes from these ridges. They look at him with milky eyes. They open their mouth and say something. He doesn't hear a word.

He shakes his head and slowly lifts his hand to his ear. He shakes his head again.

The person nods and vanishes.

In the darkness, he drifts back into sleep.

 

.

 

The next time he wakes he's laying on his stomach.

Everything's white. So white that he still can't see a thing.

He only feels pain.

Something is happening to his neck.

He screams but doesn't hear a thing.

Someone lifts his head a bit and puts a mask over his face.

Immediately everything goes numb.

He can still feel someone doing something to his neck, but he doesn't feel any pain anymore.

He doesn't know how long he lays like this, but suddenly the person stops.

Someone rolls the cot he's laying on away.

He doesn't know where they take him, but soon everything's dark again.

It doesn't take long for him to drift off to sleep.

 

.

 

He dreams of stars.

He dreams of faceless blue men.

He dreams of death.

He wants to die.

Instead, he wakes up in darkness. Again.

Slowly he tries to move his fingers.

He tries to become familiar with his body.

This time he feels no tubes.

He takes a deep breath. It smells like vanilla, an unwashed body, and something strange he doesn't recognize or doesn’t remember.

After a while, he looks around.

It isn't as dark as he thought. He's in a small room with no windows. He can see the outline of a door. There’re a chair and a table next to his bed.

He tries to sit up. Slowly.

He feels the blood rushing to his head so he lays down again. He waits some time before he tries again.

This time, he's successful.

Carefully, he tries to stand up and make his way to the door. His legs are weak; he hasn't walked in quite some time. But he can't go back to bed or sit down now. Instead, he presses his ear against the door. He can hear distant, indistinguishable noises. He takes the handle and opens the door.

Light falls into the room and he can't see anything anymore.

When his eyes finally adjust to the light he sees four figures looking at him.


	2. Chapter 2

They are dark gray amphibian people with bioluminescent ridges all over their naked bodies. They all look the same to him, but two of them have green spots all over their slim bodies. They have two jagged, green fins on their heads. The four of them look at him with big, dark eyes.

“You shouldn’t stand up,” one of those with the green spots says. “You’re too weak.”

“Where am I?” he croaks. This is what his voice sounds like?

“Sit down first.”

Two of them stand up and bring him to one of the chairs. They’re right. His legs are weak. He sits down. It’s better this way.

“You’re on our ship. We’ve found you and the other one near the remains of a planet or asteroid. You were floating around unconscious, clinging to him.”

“The other one?”

“The blue one with the red headpiece.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s dead. He had been for a while. We had to get rid of the corpse. We didn’t know if you’d ever wake up. We’ve kept his stuff, though. We’ve kept yours, too.”

“My stuff?”

“We can show you later.”

He nods. “Who are you?” he asks.

“Our kind doesn’t have a name,” one without spots answers. “None that we gave ourself. Other people might have a name for us.”

“And you as individuals?”

“I am Dovax,” he answers.

“I am Vordan,” the second one without spots answers. In his eyes, they look exactly alike.

“My name’s Luvan,” the one who spoke before says.

“And I’m Ulava,” says the last one. “Who are you?”

He thinks for a moment. “I don’t remember,” he answers finally. “I don’t remember anything.”

“Your memories might come back,” Luvan says after a short consideration. “You’ve been unconscious for quite a while. And we don’t know how long you’ve been out there.”

“How long have I been on your ship?”

They hesitate. “Three days of our counting.”

“Three days doesn’t sound that long.”

“Our days are longer than most. We don’t know how to translate it to standard time. One can only assume.”

“When we found you, your hair was short,” Vordan says. “Now it’s long.”

“My hair?” He puts a hand at his head and lets it run through his hair. It’s not especially long, but it’s not short either. He also has a long, full beard. “Yes, it’s long. I’ve never worn it that long.” How does he know this? He just does.

“We have methods to strengthen your muscles,” Luvan says suddenly. “We can’t, unfortunately, restore your memories. But we’ve heard that the body of a mammal remembers certain facts, even if the mind does not. Maybe our methods can help restore at least some basic memories. We can’t promise anything.”

He nods.

“But we have to strengthen your muscles so you can move again without fatigue. You have lain down for too long.”

Again he nods. “When do we begin?”

Luvan smiles and all four of them stand up. “Right away. We’ll help you find your way to the water.”

“The water?”

“It will all happen in water from our home planet.”

The four help him to stand up. Luvan and Ulava each take one of his arms around their shoulders while Dovax follows them closely. Vordan leads the way and opens the doors in their path.

He has no other option but to go with them.

They all are naked, he realizes, as they’re making their way through a maze of rooms. Every room looks different, but he’s not sure if he recognizes anything but basic furniture.

The floor of the room with the water gently slopes down for some meters. Before it starts to drop drastically there are holes in the floor, resembling seats. They all sit down in one, Ulava and Dovax to his left, Luvan and Vordan to his right. The water is warm in the hole, even it wasn’t outside of it. He wonders what the temperature the water in the deeper regions will be.

“Close your eyes and relax,” Ulava says in a soft voice.

He does as he’s told.

“It might hurt a bit, but don’t worry. It will pass and you’ll feel stronger afterward,” Luvan continues.

“Am I allowed to talk?”

“We would prefer if you did not,” Vordan answers. “We can talk, though, if it helps you to relax.”

“That would be nice.”

“What do you want us to talk about?”

“Tell me more about your species and what you’re about to do to me.”

Dovax starts to talk about their planet while the four carefully massage his muscles. He listens, but the voice starts to lull him back into sleep.

He doesn’t know how long he’s asleep, but he wakes up screaming. His whole body hurts like it has never hurt before. He wants to curl up into a ball, he wants to twist, he wants to throw punches all around him, but he can’t. Strong hands keep him in place while other hands continue to work their way all over his body.

After a while full of pain, he falls into unconsciousness.

 

.

 

He wakes up in the hole of water, the four still sitting next to him. His eyes wander down his body. He’s covered with bruises.

“You passed out,” Luvan says. “We continued with the procedure. Now you need to rest in the waters.

“I have to stay here?” he asks.

“For now,” he gets as a reply. “Sleep. It will help against the soreness in your body. When you’re awake we can continue.”

“And you?”

“We’ll stay with you.”

“The whole time?”

“As we did before.”

He smiles softly. “Can you give me a name?”

“No, not yet. But I promise it will happen. You will find a name.”

His smile widens.

“Close your eyes.”

He does as he’s told. Quickly he falls asleep.

He dreams.

He dreams of stars.

He dreams of purple, white, and black explosions.

He dreams of red and green explosions.

He dreams of heads floating in the vast emptiness of space.

He dreams of gold and pink.

He dreams of tattoos.

He dreams of planets and more stars.

He wakes up because someone shakes him softly.

“You had a nightmare,” Ulava says. “Do you want me to hold you?”

“No,” he answers and drifts back into sleep.

This time he doesn’t dream.

He wakes up because something brushes through his hair. It’s Vordan who washes his head with something sweet smelling.

“What’s this?” he asks.

“An ointment to clean your hair. To make you feel relaxed,” Vordan answers and massages his head. “We think about cutting your hair, all the hair on your body, now that you’re awake. You don’t need it here on our ship.”

“That’s a good idea,” he agrees. “Will you do it here in the waters?”

“No,” Dovax answers instead. “Now that you’re awake, we’ll give you food. You’ll take care of your sanitary needs. We’re going to cut your hair. And finally, we’ll return here.”

“And then the pain begins anew,” he says.

“And then the healing process starts again,” Luvan corrects him.

 

.

 

The second treatment isn’t as bad as the first. Neither is the third or the fourth. Every time he feels better and better. After a while, he loses count of the treatments. Eventually, he’s strong enough to start exploring  the ship on his own. But he still takes one of the four with him every time.

They are a family, he finds out in one of their endless talks. They are, in a way, husband and husband and wife and wife. He doesn’t quite get the dynamics, but Luvan and Ulava are able to lay one or two eggs, they are, in a way, the wives, while Dovax and Vordan are able to fertilize the eggs, they are counted as the husbands.

Even though  they breed by laying eggs, Vordan tells him one day, they are able to mate “like mammals, just for fun”, as he calls it, giving him a long look.

He answers with silence.

They still haven’t given him a name yet.

He tries to remember his life, but his memories are sealed. He can’t remember anything.

He tries to encrypt his dreams. He’s sure they show him pieces of his life, but it’s no use. He can’t find any answers.

He starts to let his hair grow again. The four are not pleased. Just the head hair and the eyebrows, he promises them, nothing more. They accept his decision. More than often he finds them running their fingers through his hair. He smiles whenever they do this.

One day he’s allowed to join the four in their bed for the first time. They move slow and careful, always fearing to hurt him for they are physically much stronger than he. Even they have to admit that they would never have been able to endure and survive the things he did.

They show him pleasures he has never felt before, at least ones he can't remember. Their stamina is much greater than his, even though he's recovering much faster than them, so it feels like hours until they are all satisfied.

This night he sleeps with them in their bed, face buried in Luvan’s chest, hugged close by Dovan.

When they are all awake, they continue.

He finally receives a name.

They call him Quirav, meaning “the one who sleeps in the stars.”

This new name feels awfully familiar, but he doesn’t know why. Maybe he was called something similar in his last life - he has recently started to call it that -, maybe he knew someone with a name similar to that one.

Regardless, he likes his new name.

Finally, he is a person again.

 

.

 

One day he decides that he wants to see the things they took off him before they attached him to their infirmary.

The four bring him to a room he has never been in before. Inside of it is quite a large number of boxes. Luvan opens one of them.

“All your things are in here,” she says. “And the things of the other person. The one we had to get rid off.”

Quirav looks inside the box. The first thing he sees are two pairs of nicely cleaned boots. He takes them out and looks at them for a moment. Oh, for how long has he worn no shoes and no clothes? He can’t tell. He puts them aside on the next box.

The next thing in the box is a round device. “What is this?” he asks as he takes it into his hand.

“It’s a spacesuit,” Vordan answers him. He takes it from his hand and puts it next to the boots. “Unfortunately we broke it when we tried to remove it from you.”

“And this?” He holds up a triangular chest plate.

“This is an Aero-Rig. Unfortunately, it’s broken too.”

“I flew into space with only one spacesuit, one Aero-Rig, and a person away from an exploding planet? Of course, he died.”

“You didn’t wear the Aero-Rig. He did,” Ulava replies.

“We assume that he tried to save you, but he didn’t have another spacesuit for himself,” Luvan adds.

Suddenly Quirav feels very empty and sad. “He must have loved me very much. To die for me.”

“You are a loveable person, Quirav,” Vordan says. “We would all die for you.”

The other three nod.

Quirav smiles widely. “I love you, too.” But his smile doesn’t reach his eyes and he still feels empty inside.

“Are these guns?”

“They are called Elemental Blasters,” Dovax says. “You wore them in holsters around your legs. But there’s no use in using them. They’re empty.”

Quirav nods and puts the two blasters away.

Next in the box is a gray scarf. “It looks comfy,” he says and takes it. It’s soft and smells good.

“It was his,” comments Ulava. “All his clothes were a lot dirtier. Yours too, but not as dirty as his. It took us long to clean them.”

Quirav’s thumb brushes over the fabric before he ties the scarf around his neck.

“He wore it exactly like this,” Vordan says. “Maybe you do remember.”

“My body does, but my mind doesn’t. I can’t even picture a face.” Next in the box are a red leather jacket and a red coat without sleeves.

“What are these?” Dovax asks and points at a badge on the chest of the coat. “A flower?”

“Flames,” Quirav answers. He doesn’t know how he knows this, he just does.

“These are some weird looking flames. What do they symbolize?”

“I can’t remember.” He continues to look through the box. The other man seems to have worn much more clothing than Quirav had. But there's nothing that triggers his memories, nothing that gives his identity away.

He puts everything back into the box, even the scarf. It's not the time to wear it now. The ship is warm, he doesn't need to wear anything.

And thus he never wears anything.

 

.

 

He doesn't know how long he's been on the ship. He tries to count the times he sleeps once. He tries to count the times he removes the hair of his body once. He tries to count how often he has to eat once. But always he loses count.

One day they have to go and visit a planet.

The four are dressed in long cloaks which cover them from head to toe. They decide that it's better when Quirav wears the clothes of his former life under his cloak, otherwise, he would feel cold. It’s the first time in ages he wears clothes and shoes. It feels so different.

They make him visit a medic. His translator had broken down when he was floating in open space, and they had to implant him a new one which is working worse and worse with every day. He needs a new one.

They stay in the waiting room.

In the privacy of his office, the medic asks him if he knows where he stands with the four.

“We're all lovers,” he answers with a smile.

The medic’s face hardens. “They are who we call the Chuvit. It's their habit to take strangers into their lives and mate with them. By mating they fill them up with pheromones and other body chemicals, so the lovers never want to leave them and would do anything for them. But this is their end. They use their living bodies as a hatchery for their young. The larvae of the children eat their way outside their body, while the person is still alive.”

During the speech, Quirav’s smile vanished. “They put their eggs in me?”

“I can check if you're already infected. I can also give you something against the effects of their pheromones. But under any circumstances, you should leave them before their ship leaves port in a few days, or it will be your death.”

He can't answer in words. He can only nod.

The medic gets a device and scans his body. “Your body’s clean. Wait here for me. Take off the clothes from your upper body in the meantime.” He leaves his office through a door in the back.

Quirav waits in silence.

The medic comes back with a syringe in his hand. “Do you have any money to pay for this?” he asks as he injects the colorless liquid into his arm.

“I don’t.”

“Do the Chuvit have any money?”

“I don’t know.”

His eyes wander down Quirav’s chest and stop at his crotch. “I think we’ll find a way for you to pay for the medicine. You’re going to see the effects of the injection within an hour. Nausea can be a side effect, don’t get too worried about that, it will pass. Get dressed now. Tomorrow you’ll have an appointment for your translator surgery. Leave now.”

Quirav dresses and leaves the office, back to the four. He’s not going back to the medic, he decides. And he won’t stay with the four either. He’ll leave when they sleep.

 

.

 

Slowly and quietly he rises from the bed and leaves the room.

They don’t wake up.

He hurries to make his way to the room where his clothes are stored. He gets dressed and takes a look into some of the other boxes. In some are clothes, in some are other things. In one he finds a bag, big enough to store the other things from his box. He takes it with him. He leaves the rest of the boxes untouched and doesn’t take anything that’s not in his box.

Quirav’s next stop is the kitchen. There he packs a fair good share of food.

He leaves the ship.

The four are still asleep.

It’s a sunny day outside.

He takes a deep breath and goes off to a new beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

Quirav hurries through the spaceport, putting a safe distance between him and the ship of the four. He knows they won’t wake up soon, but better safe than sorry. In any case, he needs to get off the planet.

But how? He doesn’t have any money, he doesn’t have any goods to offer. He doesn’t have any skills. At least he doesn’t have any skills he knows.

He walks through the spaceport.

He sees a big cargo ship, entrance wide open and unprotected.

Carefully he makes his way to it.

Still, nothing happens.

He makes his way through the dark corridors until he finds a door. A normal door, like any other, but he notices something about that kind of door. He knows it. Not this door, but the type of door. He knows how to open it even if it’s locked.

He breaks in.

And he does it pretty well, he has to admit. The door opens and closes for him, locking itself automatically behind him. He’s not trapped, of course. He can break through it anytime.

But right now he doesn’t want to.

He decides to stay in this storage room until the ship has landed somewhere else.

The four will never find him.

And neither will the medic.

He makes himself comfortable in a corner far away from the door.

He uses the bag as a pillow and the cloak of the other person as a blanket. It feels weirdly familiar, but he can’t remember ever sleeping under this cloak.

He closes his eyes.

He dreams of stars and kings.

He dreams of antennae and metal arms.

He dreams of weird animals and trees.

He dreams of arrows and orbs.

He dreams of music.

He dreams of an angel of pure light.

He dreams of a planet making its way around three suns.

He dreams of piercing purple eyes.

He wakes up because someone hits him with a gun.

Quirav stares at a pink man with yellow eyes. He says something, but Quirav doesn’t understand a word. But he knows the other man can.

“I have no idea what you’re saying, man, I think my translator broke down.”

The man shouts something.

“I mean no harm! I just took a nap! I’ll get off your ship immediately!” He gets ready to get up, but the other person grabs his arm and pulls him up. He can only grab the coat and his bag with one hand before he gets dragged outside the storage room.

Quirav is brought to the bridge. The people there try to tell him something, but he never understands. He only understands certain words, but he doesn’t even know in which language they are said. They try to stick a manual translator to his temple, but his neck translator interferes with it and he still doesn’t understand anything. In the end, they decide to give him a new implant.

He can finally explain his situation and convince them to keep him alive.

It doesn’t come for free, of course. He has to clean the many toilets and showers for the rest of his trip. But at least they don’t throw him out of the airlock and he has a small bed to sleep.

He even makes some friends during the trip.

They throw him out at the next space station they’re visiting.

He walks around aimlessly and makes some money by stealing. He’s pretty good at this, he has to admit. Was this what he did in his last life. Had he been a thief?

He's able to rent a small room by his “earned” money.

After a while, he’s able to get a job as a bartender in a local bar. He knows most of the drinks, but he still has no idea who he was, so he keeps the name the four gave him.

 

.

 

In the two months Quirav spends on the station, he sees many people of many different species. They never fail to astound him. But he can always name them.

With his natural charm, he quickly becomes the most popular bartender.

One day a Kree enters the bar. It’s the first Kree he’s seen since he joined the space station. He sits down right in front of Quirav and orders a drink.

He looks at Quirav and frowns. “You remind me of someone.”

“Normally people use this phrase when they want to get me into their bed. It’s too early for that and I have to work. Sorry.” Quirav grabs a bottle and pours it into a glass.

The Kree follows the liquid with his eyes. “I’m not. I just stated a fact. He’s dead, though.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

The Kree huffs in amusement. “I barely knew him. He killed me for something terrible I attempted to do. He and his friends were considered heroes for this. Now he’s dead and I’m alive.”

“How come if he killed you?”

“It’s complicated. It doesn’t matter. I’m not the person I once was. I was the Supreme Accuser. Now I’m living in exile.”

“That’s rough, buddy,” Quirav states and takes another bottle to pour it into the glass. As the red liquid meets the blue already in the glass, they dance around each other in beautiful whirls, slowly calming down as a joined purple liquid at the bottom.

He puts the glass in front of the Kree.

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

“I’m Quirav.”

“Quirav… I’m Ronan.”

Ronan stays the whole evening at the bar until they have to close.

Together they make their way to Ronan’s room. On the last meters, Ronan carries Quirav as it’s easier this way to kiss and walk.

As soon as the door is closed, they start to undress each other. Ronan’s too much in a hurry, he rips off Quirav’s shirt. But Quirav doesn’t care. He only cares about Ronan’s lips against his, Ronan biting down on his neck. He cares about his mouth exploring Ronan’s naked body, about his mouth on Ronan’s dick. He only cares about Ronan thrusting into him. He cares about their joined orgasms.

They take all the time they want to explore each other's bodies. They find the places the other wants to be touched. They explore how the other wants to be fucked.

They both end up sweaty and without breath.

As soon as they are able to, they start again.

Their passion is too sweet and they both enjoy it more than anything else.

Ronan stays the next weeks on the space station. If he had or has any plans, he doesn’t tell Quirav. They live their lives together and in peace. They spend their days together until Quirav has to work. Sometimes Ronan visits him at work, sometimes he doesn’t. They spend the nights together again.

Quirav cancels his small room and moves in with Ronan.

They don’t talk about what will happen if Ronan should ever decide to leave the space station.

 

.

 

They lay in the bed, awake, but not ready to begin the day yet. Ronan has one arm stretched over him, their legs are entwined. Quirav nudges closer until his forehead touches Ronan’s. They look deep into each other’s eyes.

“I have dreamed of you,” Quirav says quietly.

Ronan smiles softly, a smile only Quirav gets to see. “Oh? What did you dream about me?”

“Not today. I have dreamed about you quite a while ago. I’ve dreamed of your eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“Yes, those beautiful and unique eyes.”

“What did my eyes do?”

“Nothing. It was a weird dream. I dreamed of all kind of things. They had no connection to each other, I think. They just showed up, vanished, and showed up again. And your eyes were one of the things.”

“Maybe it was a prophetic dream. Maybe your species is telepathic talented and you just forgot about it.”

“You think that's possible?”

Instead of answering Ronan laughs softly.

A communication device buzzes.

“Don't,” Peter comments, but Ronan only shakes his head and sits up.

He grabs the device. “Stay low, they don't have to see you.”

“What? You're feeling shame for sleeping with me?”

“No, of course not.” He puts one hand in Quirav’s hair and starts to pet him. “I don't like the idea of other people seeing you naked. Quiet now.”

He answers the call and a screen pops up in front of him.

“Accuser,” a female voice says.

“You know, I’m no Accuser anymore. What do you want, Gamora?”

Gamora? Quirav asks himself where he had heard that name before. He takes a look at the screen.

“We have a mission,” the green-skinned woman on the screen says. She’s very beautiful. “We’ve discussed it and we need you for it.”

And suddenly it hits Quirav.

He remembers.

Peter Quill remembers who he is.

He sits straight up and shoves Ronan out of the way. “Gamora!”


	4. Chapter 4

Gamora opens her mouth, but no words come out. Her eyes widen in shock. “Peter!”

He grins. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“How are you alive?” she shouts. “Why didn't you say something?”

Ronan gets back up again and puts one arm around Peter's hips. He pulls him closer.

“What's happening? Enlighten me.”

Gamora ignores him. “Where are you, Peter?”

“At the Guivar space station. The same as Ronan. As for why I’m alive… that's complicated. I was never _not_ alive.”

“How?”

Ronan growls softly. He's not used to being ignored and he doesn't like it.

“I don't know. I guess thanks to Yondu I've survived.” He closes his eyes. He hasn't thought about Yondu - about ‘the other guy’ as he called him in his head - in a long while. His belongings remain untouched in Peter's bag. “Yondu didn't make it. I was found later. I don't know when. I stayed with them. I don't know for how long. I got away, stole onto a cargo ship and ended up here.”

“Why didn't you say anything, you idiot! We missed you! We mourned you! And you were alive the whole time!”

“I wouldn't say _alive_. At least not the first time. I was unconscious, Gamora! And I couldn't remember who I am until now!”

They had both started to shout.

“You made me remember who I was… who I am.”

Gamora tears up. “Forget the mission. I'm telling the others. Stay where you are, Peter. We're going to get you!”

“I wouldn't dare to leave,” he mumbles.

“Ronan, keep an eye on him. I'm holding you responsible if he's gone.”

“He will stay right here,” Ronan growls darkly. Peter fears that nothing good will happen if he should decide to leave the station.

But he doesn't want to leave. He wants to meet his friends again. He wants to see Gamora’s beautiful face in person. He wants to laugh with Drax. He wants to make fun with Rocket and Groot. He asks himself how much Groot has aged. Is he an adult again? Is he still a toddler? A child? His thoughts wander over to the events of Ego’s death. What has happened to Kraglin, Nebula, and Mantis?

But most importantly, Peter doesn't want to leave Ronan. In his heart he knows the truth, even though they both have never said it out loud. They have fallen in love with each other.

“Good,” Gamora states and enters something into her screen. “We'll talk to each other in person. We will be with you in approximately 6 hours.”

“Meet us at the Bar da Luc.”

“We will. See you, Peter.”

She rubs at her eyes and ends the call. She probably doesn't want him and Ronan to see her cry.

“So… Star-Lord, we need to talk.” Ronan pulls him closer and kisses him on the temple. “Peter it is, right?”

“Peter Quill, yes,” he mumbles. “Star-Lord, if I feel adventurous.”

“How did you end up being ‘Quirav'?”

“The people who found and saved me gave me that name since I couldn't remember my own. It means ‘the one who sleeps in the stars’ in their language. Because that's what I did when they found me. Funny, that it sounds almost like my real name.”

“Now I know why you reminded me of the man who killed me. You are that man.”

“Uh… Yeah. No hard feelings?”

Ronan laughs softly and pulls him closer. “I need to think about this. Maybe you have to use your hip acrobatics to convince me.”

“Convince? Don’t you mean confuse?”

“No, convince. This time I’m prepared.” He presses Peter on the bed. “We’ll talk when I’m done with you.”

“You are prepared? And here I was, thinking you’re never the bottom.” Peter grins.

“Shut up, Quir-...ll.”

“Quirll? That’s not my name. I’ve know of people getting the Star-Lord wrong, but not the Quill.”

“Shut up,” Ronan growls and kisses Peter.

 

.

 

Peter makes a few calls and quits his job. He’s sure he doesn’t want to stay on this space station when he can be with his friends again, with his family.

They are at the bar an hour too early and reserve a table. Ronan insists on taking the biggest table, even though Peter sees no need for that. They’re only six people. Why would they need a table for ten? But Ronan doesn’t give him an answer. He just sits down and chases everyone off who wants to take a seat.

Peter makes sure they both face the door so they see when the Guardians of the Galaxy will enter.

He’s so nervous, he plays with Ronan’s fingers under the table the whole time, until they finally enter.

Gamora comes in first. She’s even more beautiful than on the screen, Peter thinks. She wears her hair longer these days, braided in a fishtail over her shoulder. He asks himself if she did this herself or if someone else did it for her. It’s still the good, old dark-brown-pink hair. She wears tight black leather pants and a dark green fishnet shirt under a black wrap blouse. She looks absolutely stunning. For a second Peter’s old crush on her comes back. But it’s only a crush, nothing more. He’s happy in a relationship and she always said that she never wanted anything from him.

She’s closely followed by a gorgeous golden man - a Sovereign? He has a 70s David Bowie hairstyle, not the mullet, though. The guy wears tight, black clothes and everything about him, from his lips to his cheekbones to the way he walks, looks perfect. Who is he?

They are followed by Drax, still shirtless, still covered with tattoos. He wears simple, gray pants. Of course, his knives are stuck in his shoes. Where else would they be? Drax’s whole face cracks into a smile as soon as he sees Peter.

Next to Drax walks Mantis. She has put her hair into an elegant updo and looks more mature than ever. At the same time, she looks like she can kick ass. She’s dressed in a long black jacket with green details. It seems like she has adopted Peter’s habit of wearing gloves. But unlike Peter who prefers long or fingerless gloves, she’s decided to wear those which leave the thumbs and index fingers uncovered. Mantis is also wearing light gray pants and walks barefoot!

Groot looks - Peter isn’t sure if he’s guessing it right - like a teenager. He’s got some leaves covering one side of his face and looks really annoyed as if he doesn’t want to be here. As if he’d prefer to stay in his room. Yep. He’s totally a teenager.

Rocket, to Peter’s surprise, is still alive. He would have thought that the raccoon's life span was shorter, but apparently, he had been wrong. His fur’s thinner, though, and his snout a bit grayer. He wears an orange-black jumpsuit and, of course, a big weapon on his back.

Rocket and Groot are followed by two people Peter doesn’t know, a man and a woman. The man’s a Xandarian (he thinks) with funny blue-white-red colored hair. He wears a dark blue leather outfit.

The dark skinned woman’s also dressed in a dark blue leather outfit. She carries a big sword on her back and wears weird golden arm bands. She got white hair and deep, blue eyes. Her eyes lay upon Peter for a moment before they wander off to Ronan. She frowns deeply. Peter makes a mental note to ask later what this is about.

The last person who enters is… Kraglin! He looks older, time wasn’t merciful with him. But after a short consideration, Peter finds it only understandable. First Kraglin loses his family and friends in a mutiny, then he loses his other acquaintances during Yondu’s and Rocket’s prison break, and finally, he loses both Yondu and Peter at the same time. He still wears his old Ravager garb. But what surprises Peter the most is the long fin on top of his head.

Now Peter knows why Ronan insisted on using the big table. The Guardians of the Galaxy are their own baseball team! Oh, Peter has to teach them the game one day!

He gets up and walks around the table to Gamora. He wants to hug her, he's so happy to see her. But he respects her boundaries. They look at each other, the air pregnant with unspoken words. But before anyone of them can say anything, Drax breaks the awkwardness by pulling Peter into a tight hug. “Quill, we have missed you!”

Peter smiles. “I've missed you guys too.” The ice is broken now. Peter gets hugged by Gamora. Even as she lets him go again, one of her hands stays on his back, as if she fears to lose him again.

“You're too thin, Quill,” Rocket says and grins sheepishly. “Looks like they don't feed you enough here. It's time for you to get home.”

“Yes. Yes, it's really time to get back home.”

“Betcha missed your music.”

“Yeah, it's kinda quiet without it.”

“I knew it. Hey, Groot. Say hello, that's Peter after all!” Softly Rocket punches the trees leg.

“I am Groot,” Groot says annoyed.

“He says hello,” Rocket translates. “I doubt you can understand him. You've missed the critical years.”

“Didn't understand a word.” Peter shrugs. “Hey, Mantis. Looking good.”

Mantis smiles. “Thank you, Peter. It's nice to see you again.”

Peter's eyes fixate on Kraglin.

“Cap’n.” Kraglin punches his chest twice.

“I'm not the Captain! Why would I be?” Peter asks confused.

“Ya always were number two after Yondu. Even when y’weren’t with the pack. And now we're both alone, so it's only natural that yer the Captain.”

“I…” Peter gulps. Yondu’s still a sensitive topic for him. After all, he only had some hours yet to process his foster father's death and not, like the other Guardians, ten years. “Thank you. It's an honor.” He smiles softly. “And who are you?” Peter asks the three unknown members.

Gamora answers for them. “The golden one is Adam. He was made by Ayesha to get revenge on us. Obviously, her plan failed. The girl is Phyla-Vell, daughter of the late Mar-Vell of the Kree.” Ronan grunts in disgust. Now Peter understands Phyla’s frown earlier. Her father and Ronan had obviously not seen eye to eye. “And this guy is Jack. He's our Terran intern, as Rocket calls him.”

“A Terran intern? What the hell?”

“Long story. It all happened after the war against Thanos.”

“ _What_ war against Thanos?”

“We have slain the tyrant,” Drax answers proudly for Gamora. “With the help of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. They were a good distraction!”

“Didn't Ronan tell you?” Gamora asks. “That's the whole reason why Ronan's back alive.”

“No, Ronan didn't tell me. But I didn't ask. But now! Before the stories begin, let's sit down and order something to drink!”

He goes back to his seat and to Ronan, closely followed by Gamora who sits down by his side.

Everyone orders a drink - Peter can see his ex-colleague sighing on the inside - and start to catch up on each other's stories. Of course, Peter rejoins the team and with him comes Ronan who doesn't want to leave his side.

Peter is happier than he has been in a long time.

He can feel it, the future will be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading <3


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